The Huskies' success in
basketball offers lessons we can apply in other University
endeavors.

It is a happening that, in these
parts, goes by many names. Some refer to it as March Madness;
others call it Huskymania; and for still others it is known simply
as Hoopla.

Call it what you will but ignore it
at your peril. For four weeks this time every year, a pleasant sort
of paralysis overcomes a percentage of Connecticut's
population, as we become transfixed on college basketball in
general and UConn basketball in particular.

Peter
J. Deckers

As you read this, maybe, just maybe,
both the UConn men's and women's teams will still be alive
in their tournaments. After all, success in the tournaments is not
only good for the programs and the University, but deep down inside
most UConn basketball fans flat out enjoy the excitement and inner
glow that comes from backing a winner. There is no denying that the
desire to stand behind a winner, whether in sports or any other
human endeavor, is a trait that has been synonymous with mankind
since the beginning of time. For proof, just ask any long-suffering
follower of Red Sox baseball, including myself.

When it comes to academic medicine,
people are no different. They want to stand on the side of success,
not mediocrity, and certainly not on the side of
failure.

As I watched both UConn teams
convincingly win their Big East tournaments and move positively
into the NCAAs, I couldn't help but think how similar success
on the basketball court is to success at an academic medical
center. I'm not suggesting there is a simple recipe for winning
in basketball or in academic medicine. There are, however, elements
that have contributed to UConn's basketball success that we can
learn from and apply to our activities at the Health
Center.

Recruitment of
Talent
It means as much to the Health Center to attract skilled,
experienced faculty and staff as it does for our basketball teams
to land a dominating center or a savvy point guard. Recruitment is
an ongoing, competitive and inexact science. When a highly
sought-after researcher-educator-clinician such as Bruce Liang
joins us from the University of Pennsylvania to lead our growing
cardiology program, we are instantly a better place. We have seen
again and again that talent attracts talent and raises the bar of
quality within our organization. Witness the more than 45 new
faculty recruited during the past seven years into various aspects
of our strategic plan.

Retention of
Talent
It is never acceptable to limit one's sights on attracting new
talent through the front door, if good people are slipping out the
back door. Like fans everywhere, Husky followers lament what could
have been whenever a star player leaves prematurely. At the Health
Center, we know how critical it is to hold on to our talented
people. While our new recruits often receive the spotlight,
ultimately our strength lies in the work performed by our longtime
faculty and staff. I find great satisfaction, for example, in the
fact that one of the most impressive research accomplishments at
the Health Center in years has been achieved by a long-standing
member of our faculty. As announced in February, the gene
responsible for open-angle glaucoma was recently identified by a
team led by Mansoor Sarfarazi, who joined the Health Center in
1988.

Aggressive, Team-Oriented
Goals
Whether it is achieving a 20-win season, reaching the NCAA
tournament, or even going undefeated, our basketball teams have
built a tradition of success because they work hard to accomplish
aggressive, team-oriented goals.

There is a three-part lesson to be
learned from this: First, set goals that are difficult to
reach.

Second, make sure the goals are
truly for the good of the organization and not based on individual
needs or desires.

Third, work together and tirelessly
to achieve them. I could cite several examples of where we are
replicating that approach, but one effort in particular comes
quickly to mind. Susan Whetstone, our chief administrative officer,
has led the multi-disciplinary charge to identify financial
improvements throughout our organization. That is far from easy,
when one considers the dwindling reimbursements confronting
academic medical centers. Yet Susan, with the help and support of
many others, has achieved $18 million in financial improvements
since 2000. Not wanting to rest on our laurels, I've challenged
Susan and her team to accomplish even more over the next 18 months.
I'm fully confident she will.

External
Support
In running big-time basketball programs, much needed external
support comes via a pool of individual and corporate sponsors and
an enthusiastic, growing base of fans. Win or lose, it just
wouldn't be the same if the Huskies were to play in tiny gyms
before small crowds, with no television or radio coverage. We in
academic medicine require continuous external support as well. We
rely upon patients, donors, state-derived general fund income, and
grants and contracts attained through private, corporate and
government sources. Moreover, as a public institution, we must
foster especially strong ties with our elected officials at local,
state and federal levels.

As we have seen, if we take our eye
off the ball - even for a moment - we risk losing support. There is
no such thing as too much external support. Because we need all the
"fans" we can get, every day is "fan appreciation
day" at the Health Center, and each of us has an ongoing
responsibility to help attract "fans" to our program.
Most often, this is easily done by being available, affable and
informative. "Remarkable Care Through Research and
Education" resonates with everyone, because it is responsive
to their core need, good health.

Please accept my apologies if I have
overused the basketball analogies. I merely hope to take advantage
of March Madness to illustrate that winning and success have common
roots, regardless of the venture or the venue. We can not only take
pleasure from UConn basketball, but inspiration.